Target Acquired

Thankfully LA Mesa Ecopark (LMEP) is now open to seniors over 65 years old. That was good news to us because recently a Common Kingfisher had been seen (and photographed) there. Not that it would be a lifer for us but it had been quite a while since we've seen one.

Saturday morning we purposed to go to LMEP to see the kingfisher of course! But first we birded along the way, beginning at the Greenmeadows Avenue. Our first stop was by the small waterway where a Little Egret is almost always a sure sighting. We were not disappointed.

 

Just above us a Philippine Pied Fantail was frolicking.

 

From there we proceeded to the parking area of the Christ the King Parish church. The first bird we saw was a Brown Shrike.

 

Surprisingly an immature Black-naped Oriole was singing out loud on top of a bare tree.

 

Another bare tree has a Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker basking in the rising sun.

 

Of course we had to take the obligatory shot of the resident Zebra Dove.

 

Another surprise was a Spotted Dove.

 

Our next stop was at Rodic's in U.P. Diliman for our breakfast. After our morning repast we went to the Astronomy area and got the Long-tailed Shrike.

 

We made another round and this time it was the Crested Mynas that posed for us.

 

We also got a good enough shot of the migrant Arctic Warbler.

 

Then off to LMEP we went. The guards were so nice and very helpful in getting us through the entrance protocols. By the pond where the Common Kingfisher had been seen, we met fellow bird photographers Nelson and Benjie. They had gotten a shot of the kingfisher early in the morning and they were both waiting for it to show up again. Almost an hour passed and the kingfisher was still a no show. Cynthia and I were both considering to give up when I saw a bluish bird fly by and landed on a bare branch on the pond. We hurried to where we could get a better look at it and after some waiting it perched out in the open. We were surprised that there were actually two of them - an adult and an immature!

Immature

 

 

Adult

 

We were so happy that we finally got what we came here for. Target Acquired!

U.P. for Breakfast

To be honest, the reason I told my wife that we're going birding at U.P. Diliman, was because I wanted to have breakfast at Rodic's to enjoy the best Tapsilog there is. But before reaching our destination, we decided to stop over at the Hardin ng Rosas. We were surprised to discover that the pond was almost completely covered by vegetation! The Black-winged Stilts were gone and we didn't see any Moorhens also. Thankfully there were two immature Black-crowned Night Herons there.

 

We arrived at Rodic's just as they were opening. Inasmuch as they don't allow on-site dining yet, Cynthia and I both agreed to savor our breakfast at the parking lot of the MSI Building. Unfortunately, there were a few birds there and we noticed the Security Guard cordoning off some parts in the area. After breakfast off we went to the Astronomy place. The resident Long-tailed Shrike was there of course! I think there were two individuals even.

 

Behind the fence, three Collared Kingfishers were at their usual perch.

 

There were also a couple of Crested Mynas on the roof of the building.

 

As we were leaving and passing by the Genome building, we saw some Orioles frolicking about. I quickly parked the car and we were so excited  photographing a family of Black-naped Orioles at such a low level!

 

Other than these species, there weren't that many birds which was fine with us. After all we went to U.P. just for the Tapsilog at Rodic's.

Impromptu Birding

Me: Remember the overstaying Brown Shrike we saw in U.P.  early this month but we didn't have a camera then?

Cynthia: Yes, what about it?

Me: Remember I told you we would come back and take pictures of it?

Cynthia: Yes, and.....?

Me: Let's go and do it now!

It was nine o'clock Monday morning - an unusual time to go birding, especially with the ongoing heat wave. Perhaps it was the boredom of being cooped up in our condo that made be do such an impromptu decision. Thankfully, my wife agreed.

Off to U.P. we went. Our first stop, of course, was the parking of the MSI (Marine Science Institute) where we saw the Brown Shrike. It didn't take long for us to see our target bird. The photo I got could be perfectly captioned as "Were you looking for me?"

 From there we went to the Astronomy area to look for the Long-tailed Shrike. For the longest time, seeing this species here is a guarantee. However, this time it was a no show. I thought that was strange and hoped that it was still alive and thriving elsewhere. What we saw, and quite unexpectedly, was a friendly Collared Kingfisher.

 Another surprise was a few White-breasted Woodswallows. This was the first time we saw them in this place.

 Of course, the uber common Yellow-vented Bulbul was frantically calling our attention to take a shot at it.

 Also nearby was a pair of Zebra Dove, which surprisingly, were skittish that we only got a documentary photo of one of them.

 We returned to the MSI and got even got better shots of the Brown Shrike.

 And an obligatory shot at the Eurasian Tree Sparrow.

 Then we heard the repeated calling of a Black-naped Oriole. I located the source of the sound and even got a good photo of the Oriole.

Cynthia, on the other, heard the pecking sound of a woodpecker. She eventually saw the tiny bird and we got a good enough image of the Philippine Pygmy Woodpecker.

 

Happy that we saw and photographed a good number of birds, we both agreed that it was time to go home. As we were leaving, Cynthia suggested we pass by the Temple Drive hoping we would see some birds there. Unfortunately, the grass where the Munias feed had been cut down. As we were about to get back to our car, my wife said, "There's a Myna behind the fence just in front of us!" I looked and voila! That was the best picture of the day and an exciting end to our impromptu birding.

Bird and Breakfast

February 20, 2021 - My wife and I decided to forgo our usual Saturday birding trip. It's just that we've been to only two places since the start of the pandemic almost one year ago - U.P. Diliman and Baras and so we would just be seeing basically the same birds. In addition there was a typhoon coming and we were worried that we might get caught in the rain. Unfortunately we are unable to go to the other birding places. Because of our age we have to follow certain protocols that are in effect during this pandemic. Also driving long distances has become physically daunting for me.

So this Saturday we both agreed just to have breakfast at one of our favorite restaurants. Cynthia suggested that I bring along my camera just in case we encounter some birds along the way. Good thing I did. We made a stop at the small waterway by the White Plains road where we almost always see a Little Egret. Unfortunately, it wasn't there but when I looked up I saw it perched on a tall tree beside the waterway. Then it flew and in a short while returned to where it perched earlier. That was some sort of routine for this white wader so I positioned myself and waited until it flew back to the tree top to get some BIF (bird in flight) shot. Luckily I did.

From there we drove along Temple Drive. At the bare trees by the roadside, we saw several species basking in the morning sun.

Pied Triller

Olive-backed Sunbird

Coppersmith Barbet

As we passed along Katipunan Road I suggested we pass by the subdivision where we used to live. We added two more species to our list.

Philippine Pied Fantail

Black-naped Oriole

From there we went for our much anticipated breakfast. As expected it was very delicious. To top it off, the cashier and the server remembered us despite the fact that we only visited this place just one time during the pandemic, although as I mentioned earlier, this is one of favorite eateries and we've patronized this place many times before.

After breakfast, we both agreed to pass by the Marikina River to see the Whiskered Terns and maybe a Little Egret or two. The terns were quite plentiful and we were surprised to find a Chinese Egret!

Chinese Egret

Whiskered Tern

Even though it was a short "urban" birding foray we had fun and we did see quite a number of birds. Not to mention a very sumptuous breakfast.

What's U.P.?

The weather did not look promising Saturday morning so we decided to do our birding at nearby U.P. Diliman. Surprisingly there weren't any birds along Temple Drive. So off to Hardin ng Rosas we went. The Black-winged Stilts appeared to be increasing in number.

 

And the Common Moorhens were even bolder as they swam closer to us than our previous visits here.

 

Even the Yellow-vented Bulbuls were frolicking just a few feet from us.

 

On the way out at the exact same spot where we always see them was the pair of Zebra Doves.

 

As we approached University Avenue, we were shocked at the number of cyclists and joggers! And not just there, they all over the place! Some families even enjoyed their picnics at the parking areas. And I thought "what's up with U.P. today?" Thankfully, as we turned left on E. Jacinto St, a pair of Cattle Egrets seemed unperturbed by the abundance of human activity near them.

 

After a delicious breakfast at Rodic's (which was teeming with cyclists) we went to our usual first stop - the area around MSI building. Finally, after several sightings but not photos, this time we got the Crested Myna perched on a wire.

 

The small creek behind the building had a Grey Wagtail but it was too skittish and we never got a good shot. At the parking area, a pair of Olive-backed Sunbirds were more obliging.

 

Even more friendly was the Brown Shrike.

 

From there we went to say hello to the ever present Long-tailed Shrike at the Observatory area.

 

On our way back, we heard the familiar call of an Oriole. We parked our car and waited. After the awaited Black-naped Oriole showed up.

 

A quick trip to pond yielded only a Grey Wagtail and still quite uncooperative.

 

On our way back to where we parked our car, we saw a small bird perched on a wire. When I focused my camera on it, I excitedly told Cynthia, "Grey-streaked Flycatcher!" It had been more than a year since we last saw this species!

 

That I would say was the highlight of our birding day. As we were about to exit, we decided to do a quick drive by along Balagtas St. And there at eye level, were some White-breasted Woodswallows!

 

On our way home, my wife suggested we take a look at the Marikina River behind SM to see if there were Terns and Egrets. There was one Little Egret but albeit a bit too far. 

 

There were a lot of Terns though and it was a challenge for us to get a good BIF (Bird In Flight) shot.

 

Despite the unbelievable number of people in U.P. that Saturday morning, we were glad that we were still able to get some good photos of the local birds.